Building Envelope Case Study: From Initial Construction Through Occupancy Join me as I recount my building envelope journey with a large four-story CMU and masonry higher-educational building for a large university in the Midwest. We will start with the initial pre-bid constructability review and go through construction and turnover. We will review the air/vapor barrier, […]

If It’s Not Raining, Why Is My Roof Leaking? Roof leaks and moisture within wall assemblies are never good for building performance. The typical response is to search for a rain-related leak—until it becomes clear that it isn’t raining at all. Without rainfall, bulk water entry should not be occurring, yet moisture continues to appear […]

Peeling Back the Onion This presentation is an in-depth dive into a leak investigation at a high school Industrial Arts and Horticulture Building that snowballed into a remedial architecture project and then escalated further with discoveries that raised structural red flags and created an expansion to the original scope of work. While investigating water damage, […]

Designing Wall Systems for Specific Climate Zones Copying and pasting a wall or roof assembly that works in one part of our country into a project in another part of the country could be not just problematic, but potentially catastrophic. This presentation will use data and hygrothermal modeling to articulate what happens when tried and […]

Air Barrier Installation & Quality Control Fundamentals Join us for an informative presentation that emphasizes the importance of proper air barrier application in enhancing building performance. Properly installed air barriers are critical in preventing air leakage, which can lead to energy inefficiencies, moisture issues, and compromised indoor air quality. We will delve into best practices […]

Continuous Insulation Compared Within Eight Steel Stud Wall Assemblies Continuous Insulation, while required by the energy code, presents challenges integrating it with the overall wall-assembly’s design, performance and construction. This program at the intermediate to advanced level, comparatively studies eight steel-stud commercial wall assemblies with considerations including: Overview of the Assembly components, High-performance Net-Zero Energy, […]

 Saddle Up! Integrating Control Layers at Parapet to Rise Walls Conditions Water and air leakage, deterioration, and biological growth often occur at parapet terminations where adjacent rise walls lack proper integration of air and moisture control layers. These issues typically stem from missing or inadequate detailing, sequencing, trade coordination, and installation—compounded by limited industry standards […]